John McEnroe is one of many vocal fans of Carlos Alcaraz, although, most who follow tennis tend to be.
After all, he is joy personified, wrapped in the body of an elite-level athlete who is performing at the top of his game right now.
The current world number three, and formerly the youngest-ever world number one in the Open Era, there is an expectation that the 21-year-old will shatter nearly every record in his path throughout what promises to be an illustrious career.
However, McEnroe has now outlined what might prevent him from doing just that.
John McEnroe makes Carlos Alcaraz prediction
Speaking live on BBC Sports’ commentary of Alcaraz‘s match yesterday, in which he dispatched Aleksander Vukic in straight sets, the American was once again effusive in his praise for the Spaniard.
However, intertwined within his adulation was a warning, despite McEnroe having predicted Alcaraz to win Wimbledon.
He claimed: ‘It’s almost hard to see how he could improve. You could say ‘Okay he needs to change his attitude.’ Well, I think he’s got the best attitude I think I’ve ever seen on a tennis court.
‘He’s got to be mentally strong. Are you kidding me? He’s very mentally strong already. He’s got so many skills at the net. He’s got such a feel for the ball. But he’s also got a lot of power.
‘So you know what it boils down to? The only way he won’t improve is health. We pray every day as a tennis fan that this guy stays healthy. That commitment to doing what it takes to stay healthy to the point where he’s feeling good enough about himself that he can do his thing.
‘And the off-court stuff. Someone’s got to keep that to a dull roar so he can focus on just doing his thing.’
Carlos Alcaraz is cementing his status as Wimbledon favourite
Although Jannik Sinner is also thriving too, Alcaraz’s status as defending champion likely gives him the edge as the favourite for this iteration of Wimbledon.
And thus far he is justifying that notion, with two routine wins over tricky opposition.
His first-round clash with qualifier Mark Lajal shocked most on centre court with how even it started, as the Estonian wowed the crowd with his energetic and stylish performance.
However, when he wants to, Alcaraz simply has to just lock in and focus to dispatch most other players.
It is nice to watch him put on a show, but there is this resignation that as he gets deeper into the tournament and the matches get tougher, he will only improve.
As McEnroe alludes to, it is quite scary just how good he already is for his age.
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